Erak Starfollower
Erak Starfollower, once Jarl and now Oberjarl of Skandia, is a good friend and ally of Araluen and King Duncan. He is the main focus in Erak's Ransom. History Erak appears in many of the Ranger's Apprentice books including The Burning Bridge, The Icebound Land, Oakleaf Bearers (The Battle For Skandia in America), Erak's Ransom and The Lost Stories. The Burning Bridge In the second book, Erak makes his debut for the Ranger's Apprentice Series. He was part of the group of Skandians hired by Morgarath to ambush the back of King Duncan's army. However, after they were routed, Erak gets fed up with the whole affair and takes his men home, double-crossing Morgarath. At the bridge, he sees Will and Evanlyn; Will is fighting off the Wargals and Nordel (one of his crew) throws a rock and knocks the apprentice unconscious. Evanlyn tries to shoot the bow at them but she is captured and they both pass through Morgarath's territory and taken to Skandia where they are to be sold as slaves. The Icebound Land Erak captured Will and Princess Cassandra (Evanlyn), and sold them to Ragnak as slaves. But, like all Skandians, Erak respects people with courage and seeing Will take out a dozen Wargals with almost inhuman accuracy, he soon starts to admire Will. After selling Will to Borsa who is, in a way, a secretary to Ragnak, he witnesses Will become addicted to warmweed and decides to help Will and Cassandra escape. Erak gives Cassandra (who was mostly known as Evanlyn at that time), a horse and some supplies and tells them to head toward a hunting cabin in the mountains. He also gives her a small supply of warmweed so she can ween Will off of it, which shows he is a very good person on the inside. The Battle for Skandia Erak fights in the Battle of Hallasholm against the Temujai, and also helps plan the attack with Halt, Will, Horace, and Cassandra. He helps protect Cassandra against Ragnak, who swore a Vallasvow against the Araluen Royal Family, which means he is bound to kill them. Halt persuades him to not kill Cassandra for the moment after she is revealed to be the Princess Cassandra, and to concentrate on the Temujai threat. Erak takes part in the battle near the end of the book. At the end of the fourth book, he is elected as the new Oberjarl because Ragnak died during the battle with the Temujai. After these events, Erak and Halt become great friends and allies. They fight alongside one another in the battle against the Temujai. He also admires Will. At the very end of the book, he makes a treaty with King Duncan outlawing full-scale Skandian invasions and allowing for a platoon of Araluen archers to be permanently stationed in Skandia. He also allows Halt to ignore the last three weeks of his one year banishment, which he calls a sign of good will between their two countries. Erak's Ransom Erak is abducted by the Arridi during a raid on ones of Arrida's costal towns. Whilst Erak is held hostage, a group of Araluans consisting of Will, Halt, Cassandra and Horace travel to Arrida to negotiate the ransoms or Erak's freedom. While Will is found by the Khoresh Bedullan tribe after wandering the desert in search of Tug, Halt and the others are captured by the Tualaghi. Working together, the bandits are finally defeated, Erak is free, and the characters all go back to their own countries on a good note. The Lost Stories: The Bridal Dance Erak comes to Horace and Cassandra's wedding at Castle Redmont. Another Skandian, Nils Ropehander, also helps Will Treaty to find two Genovesans who attempted to assassinate Cassandra. Skills Erak is known for his navigational abilities, and his willingness to use his battleaxe to make his point known. He is an experienced and like most Skandians, is an incredibly ferocious combatant. He can use a sword, but prefers using an axe. (This axe was revealed in The Brotherband Chronicles to be his grandfather's axe, which the handle was replaced by his grandfather and the head by Erak. Later, Hal replaced the handle as well, making the axe a reference to The Ship of Theseus paradox.) Unlike most Skandians, he is more tactical, which is proved by him tricking Toshak in their fight at the end of Book Seven. Description Although he's gruff and battle-hardened, Erak has a soft side too, which can be seen more in The Icebound Land. Erak also has a good sense of humor (which, like most Skandian's humor, is somewhat unsubtle). He is described as being tall, strong, muscular, and "built like a bear", with a bushy beard, which is common among Skandians. Unlike most Skandians, he seems to have a certain amount of patience, as seen in his fight with Toshak. Like most Skandians, he enjoys his drink and can tend to get out of hand when having a generous amount. He respects good warriors, and is particularly enraged when he finds out Borsa put Will in the yard, an almost certain death sentence. Category:Rulers Category:Skandians Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Wolfwind Crew Members Category:Erak's Ransom Characters Category:The Icebound Land Characters Category:Oakleaf Bearers Characters Category:The Bridal Dance Characters Category:The Burning Bridge Characters